Happy New Year, Castle of our Skins friends and family! It is 2018, and Castle of our Skins is continuing on in its fifth season. While CooS has not officially declared this, season five has had a very strong emphasis on examining identity issues related to the world of Classical music. This has included a collaborative project entitled Identity which CooS presented with the New Gallery Concert Series, and the CooS residency at Brandeis University entitled Black in Europe and Beyond. Above is a video from a panel discussion that was a part of the Brandeis University residency, which was presented with MusicUnitesUS. The panel included Dr. Kira Thurman, Chi-Chi Nwanoku, Renee' C. Baker, and Anthony R. Green, and was moderated by Ashleigh Gordon. In this video, each of the panel members discuss an issue related to identity and Classical music, ranging from specific experiences in Europe to the problem of multiple identities or Black identity itself. The entire event was successful, and hopefully these excerpts will inspire you to contemplate these issues much more deeply.

Please share any thoughts or reactions you have below. Thank you so very much, and be on the look out for Part 2 of this series on January 17th!